Sydney’s real-life video game is running out of laps

If you’ve ever wanted to fire a rocket at your best mate while driving a real go-kart, time is running out.

BattleKart, tucked inside the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park in Sydney, is the closest thing you’ll find to physically driving through a video game – and with the precinct facing a major redevelopment, the venue is set to wrap up soon.

Unlike traditional karting, there’s no painted track and no tyre walls. Instead, more than 80 ceiling-mounted projectors – each installed with millimetre precision – beam the circuit, power-ups and hazards directly onto the floor, and the karts interact with all of it in real time.

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Pick up a bonus square and a rocket appears on your dashboard. Drop an oil slick and the karts behind you physically slow down. It sounds like a gimmick until you’re mid-race, at which point it becomes deadly serious.

Because the electric karts feature an anti-collision system that automatically slows or stops them when another kart gets too close, there’s no need for helmets either. You just jump in and go, which makes the whole thing far more accessible than a typical karting session.

There are five game modes on offer: BattleRace, a Mario Kart-style racing game with power-ups and weapons; BattleSnake, a real-life version of the classic Snake game; BattleFoot, which is essentially soccer with karts; BattleColour, where teams compete to paint the arena; and BattleVirus, a co-op mode where players work together to stop a virus spreading across the arena.

There’s no minimum age – anyone at least 145cm tall can race – and the venue caters to everything from birthday parties and family outings to school groups and corporate team building.